Celebrity patrons have long been used by charities to garner interest, support and exposure for their cause. But finding the right patron and establishing a constructive and valuable relationship - that benefits both sides - can sometimes be difficult, especially for smaller charities.

But as the actor Jonathan Pryce - himself a patron of Friendship Works - advises: "Famous names on a letterhead are attractive – but if you really use your patrons they will enjoy it far more. Give them a job to do that they can do well, and you'll go far."

With this in mind, our live Q&A this week will look at:

• How to approach celebrities

• How to use a celebrity's profile to its full potential

• What to do if a relationship becomes difficult

• What help and support is available

You can leave your views and questions in the comments section below now, or come back to join the discussion live from 1pm to 3pm on Tuesday 17 January. If you'd like to join our experts on the panel, email Kate Hodge.

Expert panel

Richard is chief executive of Friendship Works, the oldest children's mentoring charity in the UK. Friendship Works provides long-term adult volunteer mentoring services to children in London who have experienced hardship and need additional adult support. The charity holds the Queen's Award for voluntary service and received the Neighbourhood Excellence Award from Bank of America this year.Twitter:@friendworks

Richard has worked with celebrities for 20 years, in both the commercial and voluntary sector. With a PR degree and background in sponsorship and event management, Richard's voluntary experience started at children's charity Action for Children. In 2006 he joined Scope to organise support from their patrons and celebrities, working with such people as Cherie Blair, newscaster Alastair Stewart OBE and paralympian Ade Adepitan MBE.Twitter:@ScopeVIPSupport

After mostly working in newspapers and magazines, in 2003 John became Christian Aid's first ever artist liaison officer. He has secured high profile support for Christian Aid's development work in some of the world's poorest countries with actors, writers, singers and comedians including Damian Lewis, Lily Cole, Suranne Jones, Nicholas Hoult, Beverley Knight, Kara Tointon, Leonardo DiCaprio and Hayley Atwell.Twitter:@johnmckie

Simon joined GOSH in May 2006 and is responsible for managing the charity's celebrity supporter base. The role works with both the charity and the hospital to build on current celebrity relationships and enlist the help of new celebrities to support and raise the profile of our fundraising needs, events and initiatives. Before this, Simon worked at Barnardo's.Twitter:@simonfromgosh

Paul joined the RNLI in 2007 and is responsible for identifying and recruiting appropriate celebrities and high-profile individuals, and nurturing these relationships for the long-term benefit of the charity. Prior to the RNLI, Paul worked as a theatrical agent and for BBC Drama in casting. Paul is also a trustee of The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation.Twitter:@Paulobiz / @RNLI

Julian is a former TV producer and agent for TV presenters and has spent the last seven years in the voluntary sector managing celebrity relationships. He is also the current chair of the Celebrity Managers' Forum.Twitter:@LCDisability

Sandra Mattocks - celebrity liaison consultant

Over the past 10 years Sandra has worked with various clients including ChildLine, Teenage Cancer Trust, Anthony Nolan, The Stroke Association, Crisis and World Society for the Protection of Animals. She provides a service for charities that do not have dedicated celebrity liaison, advising on short, medium and long-term celebrity engagement and management strategy, and training and supporting staff members.